Gabrielle Petit: The Death and Life of a Female Spy in the First World War

Description

In central Brussels stands a statue of a young woman. Built in 1923, it is the first monument to a working-class woman in European history. Her name was Gabrielle Petit. History has forgotten Petit, an ambitious and patriotic Belgian, executed by firing squad in 1916 for her role as an intelligence agent for the British Army. After the First World War she was celebrated as an example of stern endeavour, but a hundred years later her memory has faded. In the first part of this historical biography Sophie De Schaepdrijver uses Petit's life to explore gender, class and heroism in the context of occupied Europe. Petit's experiences reveal the reality of civilian engagement under military occupation and the emergence of modern espionage. The second part of the book focuses on the legacy and cultural memory of Petit and the First World War. By analysing Petit's representation in ceremony, discourse and popular culture De Schaepdrijver expands our understanding of remembrance across the 20th century. Cover page Halftitle page Title page Copyright page Dedication CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS MAPS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION PROLOGUE: EXHUMATION PART I LIFE CHAPTER 1 DISINHERITANCE, 1893–1914 Early Childhood, 1893–1902 Adrift in the Belle Époque , 1908–1911 Little Molenbeek, 1911–1914 CHAPTER 2 ENGAGEMENT, AUGUST 1914–AUGUST 1915 Mobilization War Suspicions “Done Being Useless” Departures CHAPTER 3 WAR WORK, AUGUST 1915–FEBRUARY 1916 Roaming Agent Reports “External Transmission” Counter- espionage CHAPTER 4 CONFRONTATION, FEBRUARY 2–MARCH 3, 1916 High Alert Bureau A8 Arrest and Questioning The Trial CHAPTER 5 “UTTERLY ALONE,” MARCH 3, 1916–NOVEMBER 11, 1918 Appeal “I Can Do Anything If I Put My Mind To It” “Never Mind, We’ll See” Rejection Goodbyes Execution “Let Justice Run Its Course” Reactions Abeyance, 1916–1918 PART II MEMORY CHAPTER 6 MEMORY AGENTS, 1918–1919 Unearthing Civilian Heroism Democratic Breakthrough—To A Point The Waning of “Brave Little Belgium” One National Figure Narrating a Legend80 Narrating a Legend80 A Fight Over a Grave91 The Funeral as Performance The Funeral as Lesson114 Deepening Fervor CHAPTER 7 NATIONAL HEROINE, 1919–1923 Variations on a Theme, 1919–1921 The Archive, 1919–1921 The Biography, 192261 The Monument, 1923 Counterheroes, 1919–1923 CHAPTER 8 PALIMPSEST, 1924–2007 Interwar Emblem, 1924–1940 Face of the Resistance, 1940–1949 Last Efforts, 1964–1966 Retreat, 1986–2007 CONCLUSION NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX